Antique British Silver Hallmarks 101
Webinar Transcripts – Understanding Silver Hallmarks – WorthPoint Affinity Partner e-ValueIt
Corey: Hi, everyone. I’m Corey Cripe Kuchel. I’m the founder of e-ValueIt.com, which is an online appraisal service. One of the things we appraise is silver. I’m coming to you this morning from Western Australia, where I live. So, it’s bright and early. It’s 7:00 in the morning. So, good morning, good evening, to everyone.
Let’s get started. We are going to talk about the basic, five-character sequence of antique British silver hallmarks. These are among the easiest to read, and they’re a great entry point for people who are interested in silver.
Today we will talk about
- Why silver is hallmarked
- The Types of British silver hallmarks
- What the marks mean
- Where to look for marks
And a few ways to get easily tripped up. There are a few deceptive marks, and we will go over those as well.
So, why hallmark to begin with?
Why ruin a piece of silver by putting these little marks on them? Hallmarks are applied as a guarantee of the purity of the precious metal. They are a way of saying your silver is silver, and here’s who it’s by, and here’s who guarantees it. U.K. silver hallmarks date back to the medieval period. So, the U.K. gave one of the first consumer protections with these hallmarks, which provided consumer confidence
Five marks are significant when looking at antique British silver. They are
- Standard mark
- City mark
- Maker’s mark
- Date mark
- The duty
On the screen there is a series of five marks. Each of those marks corresponds to one of the bullet-pointed words on the side. We will determine what corresponds to what as we go on today.
How do we decipher the marks? What does each of them mean?
It’s a matter of decoding.
These are the two series of five marks that we’re going to look at. The sequence in which you read your marks is essential because deciphering one mark will help narrow down what another mark is.
The Standard Mark
Let’s start with the first mark, which is the standard mark. The standard indicates that the item is silver and what the purity of that silver is. So the highlighted circle in that series of five marks is your standard mark.
It tells you that it is silver and what the purity of the silver is. In British silver hallmarks, you will see this cute lion on four paws with one arm raised and its curly tail. We call that the lion passant. That indicates that it’s .925 sterling silver. That hallmark is on the majority of items from the U.K.
The next one is Britannia
“B” that was used for a short time from 1697 to 1720. C is the lion rampant, which you will see in Glaswegian silver, and it also indicates .925. Next to it is the thistle, which is Edinburgh, and it’s .925. Then next to that, Dublin used the heart. But again, you’ll see mainly the lion.
You want to look for this mark first because if you don’t have this mark, you’re not dealing with silver. You’re not dealing with sterling silver. You may be dealing with silver plate, but the rest of the marks in the sequence we’re about to learn won’t make sense if you don’t have the standard mark first.
Looking at this sequence of five marks, does everyone see the standard mark? Yes. The standard mark is the lion. So, we know we’re dealing with a piece of silver, and we can continue on with our next set of marks. We see that it’s .925 as well.
The City Mark
Okay. We’ve established the lion. We know it’s silver. We want to know what city it came from. So, the second mark in our sequence is the city mark. It indicates the location of the assay office where the silver was verified. Out of our sequence of five, there are various options for city marks. London is a leopard’s head. Birmingham is an anchor. Chester is an upright sword between wheat sheaves. You want to have a quick look at that. We’ll go over each picture, and that may help you a little bit.
Let’s look first at London
London is a leopard’s head. London is a big city, so we will see London on quite a few pieces of silver. If you are out thrifting, out looking at silver, you will often see the lion passant, and then you’re going to see a leopard’s head. You can see on the bottom there’s the crowned leopard’s head. You can see a leopard with the crown or without the crown, and that indicates London.
The next city, which you’ll see quite a bit when browsing through silver, is Birmingham. Birmingham is represented by an anchor. These marks are in – a frame or cartouche or medallion – (whatever you want to call it) that changes shape. As we go through different periods and different iterations of these punch stamps, the exterior will change shape, but the interior anchor stays the same.
Chester’s hallmark is an upright sword
If you look very closely at this image, between the top two wheat sheaves, is a vertical sword.
The City of Chester has three wheat sheaves in a shield and a sword. Newcastle has three castles. These are sometimes confused with Chester’s wheat sheaves, so you really want to pay attention to that sword. There have been many times when I’ve looked at a piece of silver and thought that it was the three castles, but it was actually the wheat sheaves. Looking closely, I was able to discern the sword in the middle, just a faint little line.
Next, we have Sheffield, which is a crown
We will see that the crown can take different forms. It’s not always this cute little lobed crown, but a crown, nevertheless.
Edinburgh is a three-towered castle, as you can see in the image. Glasgow is a tree with a bird, a bell, and a fish with a ring in its mouth.
The mark represents a tale tied to the city of Glasgow, involving the tree and the bird and the bell. I should know more about it since I lived in Glasgow.
In the Dublin mark (up until 1807), we have a figure of a seated Hibernia, or a crowned harp (until 1806.) These are most of the city marks that we’d be looking for when we look at our sequence of five marks.
We’re back at our two sets of marks that we’ve been looking at, and you can see next to the lion is an upside-down crown, and that indicates that it’s Sheffield.
So, for this piece of silver (thus far), we know it is silver from the lion, and it was made in Sheffield.
If you look at the other sequence, can you see what the city mark is there?
Maybe I won’t tell you and let you try to decipher that set of marks yourself. There’s the city mark next to the lion. So, we see the crown. We know it’s Sheffield.
Date Marks
We’ve looked at the lion, the standard mark. Crown, the city mark of Sheffield. Now we want to look at our third mark, which is the date mark.
This indicates the year in which the item was made. This is a bit tricky in that the date letters overlap. Dates coincided with when the new head of stamping silver came into office, and those elections were held mid-year.
So, if we look at our series of five marks, we see the letter V. We know that our piece of silver is from Sheffield, so we want to look for the date letter that coincides with the city that we’re focused on. We use one of our online resources. In this case, 925-1000.com is a great resource for looking up silver marks. So is WorthPoint, which we’ll get to a little bit later. We can see the Sheffield date letter on the silver, where it’s circled in red, the V, and that indicates 1819.
Last night my husband was looking at the date marks for various cities, and he said, “How can you tell the difference? That V looks like the same V from 1863.” There are times when the date letter is pretty effaced and/or rubbed, and it’s difficult to see the nuances of the letter that distinguish it from another date letter.
This brings us to our other marks; they all work together
Suppose I thought this was a V from, let’s say, 1863. You can see in our date letter chart for 1863 that there’s a V. Once I look up and match the maker’s marks (which we’ll get to in a minute), I would know that the maker didn’t work during that period. So 1819 would be the only date that would make sense.
You would also look at the other marks, such as the Sheffield crown, to see when that style crown was used. The other marks help you identify a mark when it is a little bit effaced, or if you can’t tell what it is. Use them, and they work together.
There are letters and frames of all sorts that indicate dates, as you can see in our chart. These letters only coincide with Sheffield silver. Every city has its own set of date letters. So, one set of date letters. This Sheffield will not work for a piece of silver from London.
Now let’s consider the maker’s mark. This is a bit tricky. We all call it a maker’s mark. But it actually represents the person who brought the silver to the assay office to be verified. The mark doesn’t necessarily have to be the maker. The majority of the time, it is the maker. Still, it’s technically a sponsor’s mark, so whoever was sponsoring the verification at the assay office.
If we look again at our two sets of five, we can see the one with the Sheffield crown. We’ve got the lion. We’ve got the crown. We’ve got the date letter, which we have narrowed down to 1819. So, we would say circa 1819 or 1819-1820, since the dates are mid-year to mid-year.
Next, we go to the maker’s mark. The maker’s mark is typically initials. We can see there’s a group of initials on our Sheffield silver, and then on the other set of marks, we see a P and an S. So, what do we know? We have .925 from Sheffield, 1819, and we know that must be our maker’s mark. What do we do to find out who is represented by this group of letters?
We start searching
This is when you’re going to fall back on your resources. I know a lot of silver makers. I can look at specific pieces of silver and just know who the maker is after seeing it multiple times. This one, in particular, was pretty obscure.
Utilize your resources. 925-1000.com is great. It is where I found this mark. It didn’t show me an image of the mark, but it gave me a description. If you see in the quotation marks, S.T. over N and H. That’s what we have, S.T. over N and H, if you look at the mark.
That corresponds to Smith, Tate, and Company. They were active in the first half of the 19th Century. If we think back to our date mark, we know it’s 1819, which is in the first half of the 19th Century, so this is lining up. We’ve got the right mark. We’ve got the right identification.
As far as resources, another one is Jackson’s Silver and Gold Marks of England, Scotland, and Ireland. That’s a perfect one. And the WorthPoint library and M.A.P.S. WorthPoint has a fantastic collection of books, and they’re getting more by the day. One of the books on Chinese export silver is just the book to read if you’re looking at that. Definitely utilize the library and the WorthPoint M.A.P.S. system as well.
If we look at our other series of marks, we see a P and an S
This is the one that you were to decipher on your own. It is from Paul Storr. This is a pretty significant mark if you’re looking at British silver. If you come across Paul Storr in your pursuit of collecting, snatch it up, because Paul Storr is very valuable. That’s what that P and S corresponds to.
The Duty Mark
So that is four of our five marks. The last mark is the duty mark. This mark you won’t always see on silver. It was not used for an extensive period. If you don’t see a duty mark, don’t panic. Often you’ll only see the four marks, but the duty mark indicates that the tax has been paid on the item. The duty mark system was used by the monarchy from 1784 until 1890. It ensured that the tax had been paid on the item.
There are five main images that you will see in the duty marks
The first is King George III. This is an image that you rarely see because it was used for a short period of time. Next is King George III, again, but this second mark was used from 1786 to 1821.
This second mark pops up quite frequently. Mark #3 is King George IV. Mark #4 is King William IV, and Mark #5 is Queen Victoria. These marks are often tiny, very rubbed, and weathered. It’s difficult to see the level of detail that we see in this image when you are looking at marks.
Often I look for the profile. If I am not sure about the date of the item, I look between duty marks #1 and #2 to determine which way the profile is facing (right instead of the left). Then, I can tell what period it is, whether it is the first mark or the second mark. Sometimes you can’t see detail, and something as simple as which direction is the profile can help you narrow down the identification of your piece.
Let’s look collectively at our marks, all five of them. We know what our piece of silver is now. We can identify it, and we can find the value of it, which is what we’re trying to do. By looking at all five marks, we can first determine that our piece is sterling silver. Because of our lion, Smith, Tate, and Company, and the initial marks, and the hot water urn, that it was made in Sheffield, England. And, because of the crown, that it was made or stamped in 1819 because the date letter indicates 1819.
This beautiful urn is the source of the marks we have been discussing. It was sold at Heritage Auctions. You can see there’s a little darker band right by the handle closest to the picture plane. That’s where the marks appear. This brings us to our next question.
The first thing to do is to get is a loupe. It doesn’t have to be a fancy loupe with a light on the end, but something to magnify, because these marks are not always easy to read. Or, get a magnifying glass.
Look everywhere for the marks. You can see in the image of the silver bracelet that the marks are pretty clear. And, on the urn, the marks are pretty clear. You’ll also notice that the lid of the urn is marked as well, and may only contain two hallmarks. Sometimes attachments and pieces were marked as well but with fewer marks. You want to thoroughly inspect an object.
The last one, with the paperclip, I showed to my husband last night. This is a little charm that I have. It’s of a golfer, and you can see the paper clip. Granted, it’s a jumbo paper clip, but you can see just how tiny this item is, maybe half an inch. Down the straight leg of the golfer is a series of marks.
This was as close as I could get, but even with my loupe, I could tell that the middle mark is the lion because it was longer and more rectangular. I think the mark below that is a date mark. My husband said to me, “I don’t even understand how you’re seeing anything here.” The longer you look at marks, the more familiar you will get. Even if the marks don’t look perfect, you can still kind of decipher what they are.
Silverplate marks are very similar to sterling silver marks, so it’s easy to get tripped up. They’re not similar in value. Silverplate, for the most part, has very little value but the marks can look similar. If we look under the silver plate column, you see letters that are framed within little cartouches and medallions, which can look very similar to date letters. That star might trip you up for a city mark.
Sterling silver hallmarks are always going to have the marks we talked about. If you look down at the second set of five, under sterling hallmarks, the MC&Co, you’ll see Queen Victoria’s duty mark. You’ll see the Edinburgh tower, and then you’ll see next to that a duty mark that we didn’t see earlier. The thistle is the duty mark for Edinburgh. My husband looked at that, and he said, “This doesn’t have a lion, this isn’t sterling. It must be silverplate.” I said, “No, remember, the thistle is also a standard mark.”
One other way to get tripped up is by Chinese export silver marks. The Chinese attempted to recreate and replicate British silver, and they replicated a lot of the marks. This set of marks I got from the WorthPoint M.A.P.S.(Marks, Autographs, Patterns, and Symbols) library. They look like British silver marks, but they are not. They are from the Canton region of China. Linchong is the artist, and these are Chinese marks.
Also, effaced and rubbed marks may be difficult to identify. Rubbed marks are not going to look as pretty. The marks I’ve shown you in this presentation are obvious. Your marks are not going to look like that. They may need polishing. Use your marks collectively to try to decipher each other and know what works with what mark. For example, you can’t have a London mark for a maker that was never active in London.
So, that kind of wraps up the basics of silver hallmarks. Hopefully, you have learned something. If you have any questions, I’m ready for them.
Danna: That was great info. If anybody has any questions, just type them into the box, or if you prefer to have your mic, I’ll turn your mic on so you can speak. Just let me know in the chat area. I have a quick question. Was it P.S.?
Corey: Paul Storr.
Danna: Does it matter if it’s upside down?
Corey: No. Like the Sheffield mark, marks can go upside down. You see the Sheffield mark? The crown’s upside down. The marks are not always going to be lined up real pretty and legible. You may have to flip and turn your piece of silver. It doesn’t matter if the marks are upside down. If the marks are backward, then that matters, but if the marks are upside down, no, not at all.
Danna: That’s interesting.
Corey: By the way, the urn we looked at sold for over $8,000.
Danna: It’s a beautiful piece.
Corey: It is beautiful.
Danna: Okay. Does anybody have any questions or comments? You can just leave it in the chat there. I’m not sure if Nick is able to hear us. He was having problems with his sound. Nick, if you can hear us, you can type a question in or let us know. Betsy or Jessica. Here we go. He’s got sound now. Thanks, Nick. He logged out and logged back in. Perfect. Those of you that don’t know, Corey’s located in Australia, so it’s tomorrow there. She’s in the future.
Corey: I’m in the future. It’s Thursday already. The weather looks alright outside. Just letting you know. Guys, I tried not to move too quickly through this. Sometimes, though, when you know a subject, you rush through it. Hopefully, it was clear. Really, British hallmarks are the best place to start if you want to start collecting silver.
British silver makers were prolific. There are lots of bits and bobs of British silver floating around. You can go to a consignment shop or Goodwill or whatever and sometimes find spoons, pieces of cutlery, things like that, with hallmarks. Once you know what to look for, mainly what’s different from the silver plate marks, you’re good to go, because then you know what to buy. You know that you’re buying a piece of silver. Then you can go home and figure out who made it, when it was made, etc.
Danna: Somebody just said, similarities between American marks and English marks.
Corey: They’re quite different. American silver marks, particularly coin silver marks, they’re not going to be marked with any sterling, because they’re not sterling. Often that will trip people up. Coin silver is a different purity than sterling silver. In a lot of American silver, you will see .925.
You will see sterling, but American coin silver is a particular type of silver. You won’t necessarily see any marks indicating that it’s silver. But don’t discard it. America was pretty good about marking things silver plate when they are silver plate. Again, it’s a matter of researching the marks, using online resources, and books. Most of the time, American silver will be marked sterling or .925, which is different than British silver, because it will have the lion.
Danna: Jessica asks, would early American silver have had British hallmarks?
Corey: No. To my knowledge. I shouldn’t say no, no, because every day in this business I see something and think, that’s not supposed to be that way. But no.
Danna: Generally.
Corey: You might be looking at something that is coin silver or looking at a piece of Gorham. American Gorham silver has a lion, and an anchor, and a G. They used that series of marks. It’s an American silver maker, but they used a series of marks that look a little British. If you’re looking at Gorham silver, you’ll see a lion within a frame.
Not always, because Gorham changed their marks. But you’ll see a lion, and then an anchor, and then a G, and think, that G’s a date mark. That anchor’s Birmingham. That lion means that it’s .925. No. It’s not. It’s a piece of American silver. So, it can trip you up sometimes.
Also, Gorham silver usually has sterling written on it, which British silver didn’t. So, there are similarities in the marks, but, no, a piece of American silver should not be marked with British hallmarks.
eValueIt looks at this stuff every day. I’m one of the silver experts that looks at silver marks and gives appraisals. If you can’t piece something together, or you’re unsure, submit it through e-ValueIt. We are happy to help decode it for you.
Danna: Sure. Do you want to show us your website?
Corey: Yeah. Our website, e-valueit.com. We have a dedicated silver and objects of vertu category. As I said, I am one of the appraisers who evaluates silver. We have other experts all over the world. I worked for Heritage Auctions. If people want to sell their silver through an auction house, Heritage is a great place.
I’m a bit biased. I used to work there. The director there, who mentored me, is really great. I’ve sold a lot of Mexican silver, British silver, American silver, Tiffany, Gorham, all of that, Reed and Barton. So, we’re happy to look at your silver for you.
Danna: Perfect.
Corey: Always give us the weight, though. If you are submitting an appraisal, always give us the weight. Everyone forgets about the weight, but the weight’s essential for providing a silver valuation. Always weigh it.
Danna: That’s a good point. I’m a consignment seller, and years ago someone brought me a very old silver platter. It had fascinating marks on it. It was challenging to figure out the marks. I did the best that I could. I didn’t know how to price it, so I just put it up on eBay auction starting at $9.99. It sold for almost $8,000 to somebody in Canada. Apparently one of the marks was from somebody from their family. The piece meant a lot to them. It was pretty cool. It was probably worth triple that.
Corey: Yeah. Often people will just get things and put it up for sale and say the market decides. Typically, it does. The market will decide what something’s worth, but what you lose in that scenario is advertising it to the right people.
Danna: That’s right.
Corey: Even if you have something and don’t know what the marks are, the market will decide the price. So, I’ll put it up for sale without deciphering everything. You lose out on the market for Paul Storr collectors, or collectors of specific items.
Danna: I agree.
Corey: You want to have as much information as possible. We often provide appraisals to eBay sellers who say, “I don’t have the time to do the research on this piece. I’ll send it to someone who’s an expert.” They pay $10 for the appraisal if they buy a bundle, or $17 if they buy a single. That’s the difference between hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars to their bottom-line selling price.
Danna: Absolutely. When I did that, it was 10 years ago. I agree with you 100%. If you had been available back then, I would have been able to find more keywords and identify the item properly.
Corey: In addition to these marks, we see family shields and crests engraved on silver. Many families would put their monogram on their silver. This can sometimes trip people up. If we see an engraved shield or monogram or device, they represent the family who owned it. Sometimes they’re considerably smaller than this, and they may be confusing. These engravings have nothing to do with the maker.
If you show the engraving to a silver expert, they may be able to identify the family shields and crests and provide information as to who owned it and the significance of it. Often, that will add tremendous value.
Danna: Sure. That’s huge. Great. It doesn’t look like we have any more questions, so I will give you back your morning and the rest of us our evening. Thank you so much, Corey. It’s been a pleasure.
Corey: Sure. I’m always happy to answer just any questions. You can shoot me an email. Info@e-valueit.com If you have any follow-up questions, I’m happy to answer those as well. Thanks, Danna. Thanks, everyone.
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